What Australia must now do to alleviate suffering in Gaza

I found myself almost paralysed, standing in an aisle where the shelves were packed full of hundreds, if not thousands, of products.

I was clearly a long way from Gaza, where Israel's systematic deprivation of aid has pushed some 1.1 million people - or at least half of the population - to the brink of famine.

There, I was considered one of the lucky ones for living off just one can of beans and a can of tuna each day.

As an Australian and a humanitarian worker for Save the Children, I was also able to freely leave Gaza, unlike more than 1.7 million people who are displaced in their own country. For them, regular meals and safety from bombardment are so far from their daily reality, like a distant dream.

More than 13,000 children have died during the war in Gaza, including at least 23 children who the Ministry of Health says have starved to death.

Children are being forced to forage for scraps of food left by rats and birds, and have resorted to eating animal food and tree leaves to survive.

Even prior to this current war, life was extremely difficult and often dangerous for Gaza's children. They had already experienced five other wars since 2008.

But there were also some wonderful things about Gaza. One of my favorite places to visit was the beach. In many ways, it reminded me of the beautiful beaches of home.

More than anything though, I loved visiting our programs and seeing firsthand the impact of our work, especially the assistance we provide to teachers and social workers, who, despite all the personal challenges to daily life in Gaza, would show up each day, ready to support vulnerable children.

All of that is gone now. Gaza's beaches are deserted out of fear that Israeli naval vessels will fire on anyone who enters the water, while many of the schools I used to visit have either been destroyed or are overwhelmed with displaced and traumatised families.

Ultimately, the warring parties must agree to a ceasefire that includes releasing the hostages and allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza, but Australia has an important role to play in protecting and advocating for children in this war, by upholding the rules-based order that was developed to keep children safe all around the world and preventing the very violations that we are now witnessing.

While Australia eventually joined international calls for a ceasefire in Gaza in December 2023, I was ashamed it took my country so long to do the right thing, with more than 18,000 deaths already recorded at the time.

With a further 14,000 deaths since, I believe Australia has not done enough to back its calls for a ceasefire with action, despite a recent poll showing the majority of Australians support the government taking more action on this very issue.

One step the government could take immediately is to officially ban all exports of weapons, ammunition, and parts of weapons to Israel to ensure that Australian-made goods aren't being used to commit grave violations against children in Gaza.

But perhaps Australia's greatest role to play in alleviating the suffering inside Gaza is to use its leverage to pressure Israel to immediately allow the free flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, facilitate aid agencies to freely distribute that aid, and to end all attacks on aid convoys, distribution centres and humanitarian workers who are simply trying to keep Gaza's 2.3 million people alive.

Australia also needs to deliver its fair share of humanitarian support.

Since the beginning of the war over five months ago, Australia has committed $52.5 million in humanitarian efforts to region, including $11.5 million to programs in Lebanon and Jordan.

This is a good start but much more will be needed to respond to the catastrophic impacts of this war.

The thing I loved most about growing up in Australia is that many of us believe firmly in fairness, equality and everyone deserving a "fair go".

I can't think of anything more unfair than allowing an entire generation of children in Gaza being put at risk of either being killed in this war, starved to death, or dying from a treatable disease.

On a previous trip home to Sydney, I took my nieces to Taronga Zoo and enjoyed watching them race from one enclosure to the next, excited to see the animals.

Back in Gaza just a few months ago, I met some children who, upon hearing I was Australian, were excited to hear about kangaroos and koalas.

It was a reminder that children are children, no matter where they live in the world. All they want is to feel protected, loved, to learn and to have fun. To just be children.

But it was also a reminder that not all children are afforded those rights.

Sadly, I can't even be sure those children I spoke to in Gaza are still alive.